Machleida flagstaffensis, Kaminski, Marcin J., Kanda, Kojun & Smith, Aaron D., 2019

Kaminski, Marcin J., Kanda, Kojun & Smith, Aaron D., 2019, Taxonomic revision of the genus Machleida Fahraeus, 1870 (Tenebrionidae, Pimeliinae, Asidini), ZooKeys 898, pp. 83-102 : 83

Machleida flagstaffensis sp. nov. Figs 1F , 2C , 4A, B , 5

Type material.

Holotype (Transvaal Mus.): "1.12.1988; E-Y:2593 / forest floor litter / leg. Endrody-Younga", "S. Afr., Transkei / Ntsubane forest / 31.27 S– 29.44E ". Paratypes: single specimen (Transvaal Mus.): same data as holotype; single specimen (Transvaal Mus.): "24.11.1987; E-Y:2533 / indig. Forest litter / leg. Endrody-Younga", "S. Afr., Transkei / Silaka For. Reserve / 31.33 S– 29.30E "

Diagnosis.

On account of a large body size this species is similar to Machleida devia . Both species can be separated by the characters listed in the identification key provided above.

Description.

Length 13.0-15.0 mm, width of elytra 7.0-7.5 mm. Integument brownish, often densely coated with debris. Head: frons with longitudinal median depression, densely punctate (~0.2 diameters apart), each puncture with short yellowish acuminate seta; frontoclypeal suture medially indistinguishable, weakly indented at margins, with pair of lateral depressions; apical clypeal margin broadly shallowly emarginate; clypeus projected toward front of body ( Fig. 1F ); apical margin of labrum sharply emarginate, densely punctate (~0.2 diameters apart), each puncture with short yellowish seta. Eye elongate oval, length approximately 6 × width, weakly emarginate around epistomal base. Mentum with rounded base, not fully filling buccal cavity, anterior margin weakly medially emarginate; densely punctate, punctures moderately sized, each with single slender setae. Submentum triangular, concave, densely punctate. Antenna moderately clothed in erect acuminate clear to yellowish setae; length of antennomeres 10+11 equal to 0.9 of antennomere 3 length; antennomeres 10+11 noticeably widended; length of antenna equal to 0.75 of pronotal length. Prothorax: pronotal lateral margin rounded, slightly elevated. Pronotum widest in middle base. Disc with two median carinae merging in middle, and lateral tubercles situated above half pronotal length; surface sparsely punctate, covered with noticeable microsculpture and extremely short, brownish setae. Median carinae and remaining tubercles apically covered with elongated scale-like setae and short elongated setae; anterior margin emarginate, densely setose; base bisinuate. Hypomeron with relatively deep antennal sulcus, impunctate. Prosternal process strongly convex, rounded at apex. Pterothorax: scutellum with median longitudinal grove. Elytra widest behind middle; surface between tubercles glabrous, covered with microsculpture; marginal costae present, tuberculate, apex of each tubercle densely covered with numerous short acuminate setae and large single scale-like seta apically, divided near humera, marginal branch extending to approximately middle of 4th abdominal ventrite, dorsal branch extending to base of 3rd abdominal ventrite, terminal tubercles transverse; disc without any trace of intervals or rows, sparsely covered with tubercles; ventral portion of elytra basally impunctate. Elytral slope steep (falling at angle of 75°). Epipleuron indistinguishable from neighbouring portion of elytra. Mesanepisternum, mesepimeron, and metepimeron sparsely punctate. Meso- and metaventrite sparsely punctate and covered with setae. Lateral regions of metaventrite (between coxae) extremely short. Legs: apex of profemora with small denticle on outer margin. Femora and tibia densely punctate and setose. Tarsi cylindrical, not flattened. Abdomen: ventrites 1-3 sparsely punctate and setose; ventrites 4 and 5 moderately punctate and setose; ventrite 5 without submarginal sulcus. Terminalia: ovipositor with paraproct much longer that coxites, plates 2-4 fused ( Fig. 4A ). Genital tubes similarly structured to other Asidini ( Fig. 4B ). Male specimens were not dissected due to scarcity of available materials.

Etymology.

The species epithet refers to Flagstaff (Eastern Cape, South Africa), a town near the collecting localities of this new species.

Distribution.

Representatives of this species have been collected in the following ecoregions of South Africa ( Fig. 5 ): KwaZulu-Cape coastal forest mosaic, Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets.

Figures

Figure 1. Selected diagnostic characters proposed for Machleida and its species. A, B Pronotal disc with specific surface modifications C ventral aspect of postoral regions D antenna E, F dorsal aspect of head. Illustrated species: A, D Machleida zofiae B M. nodulosa C M. tarskii E M. devia F M. flagstaffensis.

Figure 2. Habitus images of the studied species. A Machleida banachi B M. devia C M. flagstaffensis D M. nodulosa E M. tarskii F M. zofiae.

Figure 4. Female and male terminalia of Machleida. A, B Ovipositor and genital tubes of Machleida flagstaffensis C aedeagus of M. devia.

Figure 5. Distribution of species of the genus Machleida.